José Mourinho fires back at Antonio Conte after criticism

Sergio Conner |Sunday, January 07, 2018

Conte snaps at Mourinho 'clowns' jibe and takes aim at Wenger

With tensions rising in the top of the Premier League table between Jose Mourinho'sManchester United and Antonio Conte'sChelsea, it seems the two managers are taking things a little too personal amongst themselves. The tension in the points table has brought out a heated battle between the two managers, with both Mourinho and Conte taking digs at each other during press conferences. Probably the journalist wanted to say that but didn't have the courage, so he said 'Mourinho said you behaved like a clown'. I consider Mourinho a little man.

Mourinho intensified the spat following Manchester United's 2-0 win over Derby County on Friday, referring to Conte's ban over match-fixing allegations for which he was later acquitted.

But in 2016, the Italian was cleared by a court of any wrongdoing in the matter.

United and Chelsea are not due to meet again until February 25 at Old Trafford.

Conte had reacted angrily this week to Mourinho's assertion that he did not need to act like a "clown" in his technical area, saying: "I think he has to see himself in the past - maybe he was speaking about himself in the past". "For sure there is a good opportunity when we play against Manchester United".

"I don't blame the Chelsea manager at all and I understand his reaction". I'm ready. I don't know if he's ready'.

Conte then doubled down in his interview with the BBC, saying: "I think when there are these types of comments, and [with] the comment you try to offend a person, and you don't know the truth?"

"If you don't pay this attention, you are a little man". I repeat: I think before you speak you have to know very well what happened.

"He was a little man in the past, he's the little man in the present, maybe he will be a little man also in the future".

Conte was more scathing about Mourinho's behavior, providing the example of Mourinho attending a news conference wearing a training top with the initials "CR" following Claudio Ranieri's firing by Leicester in February a year ago.

In his response, Conte on Friday asked Mourinho to remember his antics at touchline in the past and said that he might be suffering from "senile dementia".

It all started earlier this week when Conte suggested that the United manager had forgotten some of his own past behaviour, when it was put to him that Mourinho suggested that he behaved "like a clown" on the touchline.

Popular news

Alexa Will Soon Control Connected Microwaves
Devices from Amazon and Google are the clear leaders in the smart speaker category with their respective Echo and Home products. Amazon is in heated competition with Alphabet's Google, which makes Google Home virtual assistant speakers, for market share .

Arsène Wenger Receives 3-Match Ban
Wenger appeared to suggest after the Chelsea game that there may be a conspiracy against his team. Wenger told reporters when quizzed on his outburst: "I've nothing to add, I maintain what I said.

Australia Out of the Hopman Cup
I'm going to the physio now to see what it is. "I didn't play my best today - luckily I have an unbelievable partner". Zverev praised two-time major victor Kerber's performance, admitting he nearly lost the match for Germany.

Chelsea held by second-tier Norwich
Chelsea pressed late on but the closest they came to a victor was when Davide Zappacosta shot narrowly wide in injury-time. Norwich City manager Daniel Farke told BBC Sport: "To be honest I'm a bit disappointed it was not a win for us".

Nokia 6 (2018) leaked in renders, may launch on January 5
In China, the phone is priced at CNY 1499 (~ Rs. 14,600) for the 32GB variant and CNY 1,699 (~ Rs. 16,600) for the 64GB variant. The Nokia 6 (2018 ) runs on the Android 7.1.1 Nougat and is powered by a 3000 mAh non-removable battery with fast charging.

Google discovers 'serious' flaws in Intel and other chips
To be sure your computer is up to date, open the Start menu, click the gear icon to open Settings, and click on Windows Update. Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and other software makers have issued patches to protect against the vulnerabilities.

Florida sees snow for first time in 29 years
Meanwhile, in Valdosta, Georgia, the snow was coming down even harder and it was actually accumulating on the lawns and streets. On its Twitter account, the Tallahassee Police Department warned motorists that ice could form on bridges early Wednesday.

North-South hotline reopens on Korean peninsula
The large annual military exercises with South Korea would resume sometime after the Paralympic Games conclude March 18, he said. The two sides would discuss leadership and composition of each delegation participating in the talks, he said.

Everton confirm £27m signing of Cenk Tosun
The Toffees announced the deal for the Besiktas man at half-time of their FA Cup clash at local rivals Liverpool . He said: "This lad looks like he is strong mentally and has a good pedigree".

No Progress Possible On Turkey EU Bid, Says Macron
In his remarks at the joint news conference, Macron said "two-facedness" in Turkey-EU ties should come to an end. Turkey applied for membership in the European Economic Community, a precursor to the EU, in 1987.

NFL's ratings fall almost 10 percent
As for the playoffs, starting this weekend, they were among the NFL's most-watched programs in 2017. But as the season went on and the controversy waned somewhat, the ratings decline narrowed.